Locking mechanism for pocket savings-banks.



F. A. SMITH. LOCKING MECHANISM FOR POCKET SAVINGS BANKS. APPLICATIONFILED MAY 8 I916- will! mm E 12 Z2710 Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

ITED STATES PATE T QFFICE FRANK A. SMITH, OF oHIcAeo, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR'ro AMERICAN BADGE COMPANY, OF

. I CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOCKING MECHANISM FOR POCKET SAVINGS-BANKS.

menace.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

Application filed May 8, 1916. SerielNo. 96,027.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK A. SMIT a citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inLooking Mechanism for Pocket Savings-Banks, of which the following is afull, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to locking mechanism for pocketsavings banks andits principal object is to provide a simple, practical and efiectivelocking mechanism which can be quickly and easily operated to permit thebank to be opened to remove the coins and then again locked. 1 Furtherobjects are to make the picking or tampering of the bank or its lockimpossible, and also to simplify and cheapen the construction, whileaccomplishing the foregoing results.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a pocketsavings bank, embodying my invention; I

Fig. 2 1s a bottom view of the bank look ing upward;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same;

Fig. 41 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are front and side views of a key for opening thebank.

In the drawings '1 show a bank conveniently consisting of a cylindricalbarrel 1, although it will be understood that the invention can be usedin connection with any form or type of bank. At the upper end of thebarrel 1 is a cap or cover 2 having a coin slot 3; At the lower end ofthe barrel 1 is the mechanismby which the bank can be locked andunlocked, which mechanism more particularly involves the invention ofthis application. In this arrangement a cup-shaped member or cap 4 isfitted removably to the lower end' of the barrel 1 as best shown inFigs. 1 and 3, so that said member 4 when in position on the lower endof the barrel closes the same. This cap or end member 4 is provided withmeans by which it may be locked to the barrel 1, and also unlockedtherefrom to permit the bank to be opened. A transversely extendingplate or member 5 extends across the cap or head a and is securedthereto by a post 6 whose lower end is riveted at 7 over the bottom ofthe cap 1 and whose upper end is provided with shoulders 8, againstwhich the plate 5 fits. The post 6 is also provided with upwardlyextending strips or ends 9 which arebent or flanged over so as to holdsaid plate 5 in position. A small washer or supplemental plate 10 ispreferably inserted in position above the plate 5 so as to form a floorfor which floor the coins may rest and which serves to protect theoperating mechanism below the washer 10 from being interfered with bythe coins and also from being inspected or tampered with from abovethrough the coin slot 3. The plate 5 has downwardly extending flanges 12located opposite one another, as shown in Fig. 4, and each comprising a.sector adapted to fit against the'inner surface of the lower end of thebarrel 1. The plate member 5 is also provided with guidewaysconveniently formed by bent over portions 14-14 of said member 5. Theseguideways are conveniently located diametrically opposite one anotherand midway between the sectors 12-42. Slides 15--15 are arranged toslide in the guideways 1 1-14, said sliding movement being in a radialdirection. The outer ends of these slides 15 are adapted to enter andfit in apertures formed in the side of the barrel 1, said slides 15being shown with their outer ends in said apertures in Figs. 3 and 1.Obviously with said slides 15 entering said apertures and being therebyin engagement with the barrel 1, the head or end portion provided by thecap 4 and associated parts will be held and locked in position to retainthe coins inside of the bank. The inner ends of the slides 15 areprovided with lateral projections 16 conveniently formed by downwardlyturned end portions of'saidslides. As an arrangement for holding saidslides 15 normally in outward position so as to engage the barrel 1 andthereby lock the device, a spring 17 conveniently in the form of a wireloop is arranged crosswise of the device and provided with lateralprojections 18 acting against the projection 16 and tending to force thesame and thereby the slides 15 out wardly. The projections 16 are madein a sloping or cam-like manner as best shown in Fig. 1. As anarrangement for unlockp in g the bank I provide a key 20 (Figs. 5 and6). This key has two prongs 21, and the bottom of the bank has twoapertures 22 (Fig. 2) which are adapted to receive said prongs 21. Thelatter are adapted to fit just outside of the projections 16 When saidprongs enter the bank by passing through.

.ment between said key and cap 4 to permit the latter to be pulleddownwardly and away from the barrel 1. Thus it will be seen that withthe cap or head 4 in position upon one end of the barrel 1 and lockedtherewith by means of slides 15 engaging apertures in said barrel, inorder to unlock the device the key 20 is manipulated so as to pass itsprongs 21 through the apertures 22.and then said key is turned slightlyso as to move the slides 15 inwardly and thereby disengage them from thebarrel 1, whereupon said key is pulled upon so as to pull the cap orhead 4 away from the barrel and thereby separate the two and so open thebank to permit the removal of coins. In order to lock the bank again thecap or head 4 is put in'position again and then turned sufliciently tobring the slides 15 into register with the apertures in the barrellwhereupon said slides will be sprung outwardly so as to engage thebarrel 1 and therefore again lock the device.

It will be seen that the construction is very simple and may beinexpensively made and also that the bank may be securely locked andtampering prevented. r

It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a coin casing, a

head or cap member for the same, locking mechanism carried by said headorcap member, said head or cap member being provided with apertures, anda key adapted to enter said apertures, said key and locking mechanismbeing constructed to cooperate with one another so as to unlock saidlocking mechanism when said key is inserted in said aperture andturned,said key being provided with notches or recesses adapted to'receive anedge portion of the material of said cap or head member whereby said keymay also be used to withdraw said cap member and separate it from saidcasing.

2. The combination of a coin casing, a head or cap member'covering anend portion of said casing and containing locking mechanismcomprisingsliding members arranged to enter apertures formed in aportion of said casing covered by said head or cap member, a postcarrying a transverse plate which latter is provided with slideways,slides mounted in said slideways and arranged to enter apertures formedin the end portion ofsaid casing covered by said cap member, said slidesbeing provided with lateral projections, a spring acting against saidprojections and tending to force said slides outwardly into engagementwith said casing apertures, said projections having inclined cam faceswhich may be engaged by the prongs of a key inserted through aperturesin said cap member. 7

3. The combination of a coin casing, a head or cap member covering anend portion of said casing and containing locking mechanism comprisingsliding members arranged to enter apertures formed in a portion of saidcasing covered bysaid head or cap member, a post carrying a transverseplat-e which latter is provided with slideways, slides mounted in saidslideways and arranged to enter apertures formed in the end portion ofsaid casing covered. by said cap member, said slides being provided withlateral projections, a spring acting against said projections andtending to force said slides outwardly into engagement with saidinclined cam faces which may be engaged by the-prongsof a key insertedthrough apertures in said. cap member, and awasher also held in place bysaid post and located on the sideof said plate member opposite saidlocking mechanism chamber.

' In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe,

A. L. J0me, HAZEL A. JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of iatents,

Washington, D. G. V

